Redemption.

Chapter 7

Hermione had a free period, now that it was Care of Magical Creatures (she'd have to speak to Hagrid later). She was now heading towards the Head's common room. She had planned to ask Malfoy about the Prefect duties but she didn't know how to go about it. Not after last night's encounter. What would she say?

She was walking past the Prefect's bathroom, when she heard it. Sobbing. Hermione stopped in her tracks. She walked to the door and pressed ear against it. Whoever was inside, was having a horrible time. She heard him (she guessed it was a boy) gasping, coughing and sniffing. She bit her lip. Should she go inside and give some comfort to whoever was there? But what if the person wanted to be left alone? She stood there for a moment, thinking. Then she made up her mind, and silently pushed opened the door. 

Her heart lurched to a painful stop. 

Malfoy was slumped on the ground, shaking uncontrollably, tears streaming down his face. He looked so dejected and vulnerable, Hermione couldn't stand it. Cautiously, she moved forward, squatted down and put a comforting hand around his shoulders. He froze. Hermione began rubbing his back gently to ease his tension, and she held him, at a loss for words. His shoulders relaxed, but then slumped down again and he continued to cry. Gradually his breathing eased out a bit, but Hermione still held him, now whispering comforting things in his ear.

Malfoy looked up at her, and her gut twisted. His eyes looked like broken glass, not at all their usual silver, but a dull, colorless grey. She had never seen someone so broken..so lifeless. He looked at her, as though pleadingly, and Hermione held him close, her eyes turning sad. What had the war done to him?

Perhaps he misread the emotion in her eyes, but he suddenly pushed her away and got up, angry once again. She too raised herself slowly, until they were both standing looking at each other.

"Are you okay?" She asked, her voice cracking with the lack of use. Malfoy's shoulders shook, and she realized he wasn't crying. He was angry. At her. Oh no.

"Never.." he croaked, cold fury in his eyes that she'd never seen before. "Never tell anyone..."

"What's wrong?" she insisted stepping forward.

"Don't come near me!" he half screamed, half snarled.

"Malfoy-" she started, concerned for him.

"I don't want your pity!" he shouted, clenching his fists in anger. Merlin, she had never seen him lose control like this. And she wasn't feeling pity for him! How could she explain that?

"Will you just listen-"
But with a snarl he came towards her and she backed away into the cold, tiled wall of the bathroom. Her heart was beating frantically in her chest. He was very close to her now, their faces almost touching. But Hermione had never seen the madness in his eyes before, that glinted in his cold grey pupils.
Both his arms were on either side of her face, caging her in. "I don't need your pity. I don't need you. I don't need anybody." he practically spat at her.

"Why were you crying?" she asked, defiant. She wasn't going to back out this time.

"Why do you care?" he hissed. "Want to tell everyone how weak I am?"

"Why would I-"

"Shut up! It's all your fault!" They were so close that they were sharing the same air. Hermione was angry. How dare he blame her? How dare he take that tone on her? And what was his problem? She didn't think he was weak just because he was crying.

"How is it my fault?" she seethed.

"Ha!" he cackled humorlessly, his eyes bulging. "Tell me! Are you going to tell everyone what a weakling Draco Malfoy is? You must be enjoying yourself-"

But Hermione had had enough. "Crying is not a weakness, Draco!" she said fiercely, holding his grey eyes with her warm, brown ones.

Something moved in the depths of his eyes, she was sure of it. And quite suddenly, his forehead was resting on hers, all anger having evaporated to nothingness. His shoulders were no longer stiff, and his eyes no longer slits. They stared at each other, as though hypnotized. Both were breathing heavily. Slowly, his eyes traveled down to her lips which were slightly parted. His eyes stayed there, she noticed, and her pulse quickened. Involuntarily she licked her lips, and he gazed at them, hunger evident in his eyes.

Rationality seemed to have fled her mind. Somewhere at the back of her mind there was a voice screaming at her, reminding her of the past, of his mistakes and his choices, of the fact that he was Draco Malfoy. But the bigger part that gazed at him now didn't want to live in the past. She just wanted to be an ordinary teenage girl who wanted to kiss an ordinary teenage boy though she knew they were far from that. 

"Kiss me." She breathed. His eyes snapped to hers for a moment before he slammed her lips with his own. It was a fiery, hot kiss, jolting pleasure through both of them. Her hands moved to his shoulders to steady herself, as they kissed in a sort of wild frenzy. His lips weren't soft, but slightly parched. The way he kissed her, stole her breath and kindled the fire in her belly.

He bit her lip and her lips parted of their own accord, which let him slip his tongue inside. He removed her hands from his shoulders and pinned them to the wall above her head using just one hand. She never realized before now just how small she was compared to him. His other hand snaked around her waist holding her in place. 

He took control, sucking on her mouth, their tongues swirling together. Hermione had never felt something so intense, so passionate. Pleasure pooled into her abdomen, as he pushed himself towards her, their chests touching. She moaned in his mouth, as her breasts were smashed against his rock hard chest, the friction making her unimaginably aroused.

The two stopped kissing to catch some air, but they stood close.  Malfoy let go of her hands, letting them fall freely to her sides. He crushed himself onto her, and her hands went under his shirt, feeling his muscled back.

"Granger.." he said softly, brushing his lips against her swollen ones, very gently. "What are you doing to me?"

And then he was gone in a swirl of black robes, slamming the door shut behind him, leaving Hermione to stand alone in the Prefect's bathroom, breathless and dazed.